Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja
As part of measures to curb tobacco consumption and its health hazards, the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance has urged the federal government adopt effective strategies to check the excesses of manufacturers and distributors of tobacco products in the country.
While commending the federal government for the money allocated for local tobacco control efforts in the 2024 national budget, the coalition said N10 million was low as compared to the huge challenge needed to be addressed.
Chairman, Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) Akinbode Oluwafemi, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja, said that there was no evidence to show that all tobacco companies had been fulfilling their obligation of paying for operating licenses after gaining approval to operate in Nigeria.
Speaking on the 2024 budgetary allocation for tobacco control and other tobacco control funding matters, Oluwafemi said the amount voted in the budget this year still fell below expectations.
“As an Alliance, we commend the N10 million allocation for local tobacco control efforts in the 2024 national budget as a slight improvement compared to the N4.7 million allocated in the 2023 national budget.
“However, it must be emphasised that this amount still falls below expectations, especially because we know that while it looks like the figure has gone up, there is almost no difference from last year’s allocation when Nigeria’s hyper-inflation is considered.
“Time and again, we have stated that limited funding hinders the comprehensive implementation of measures outlined in the National Tobacco Control Act, which are designed to tightly regulate tobacco products and tobacco use in the country, and ultimately reduce the burden of cancer and other non-communicable diseases in Nigeria,” he said.
Oluwafemi said with Nigeria’s frail health system and the lean pocket suffered by many Nigerians, the federal government ought to prioritise financing the enforcement of tobacco control measures to ensure that diseases associated with tobacco products are prevented.
He added that another critical concern was whether the monies previously budgeted were released into the fund’s account.
“It is imperative to remind the federal government that the National Tobacco Control Act stipulates that funds allocated for tobacco control in the national budget or from other sources are to be remitted to the Tobacco Control Fund account for utilisation.
“We strongly desire to see that this is complied with, and for this reason we call on the Federal Ministry of Health to provide an update on the status of the Tobacco Control Fund, specifically detailing the current balance, sources of the monies in the Fund and details of previous spendings from the Fund,” he said
Oluwafemi said the concerns of the civil society groups was on why all tobacco companies have not been fulfilling their obligation of paying for operating licenses after gaining approval to operate in Nigeria.
According to him, it was imperative that tobacco companies comply with this requirement, as it serves as a crucial regulatory measure to monitor their operations and ensure their adherence to established guidelines.
Allowing tobacco companies to operate without licenses not only poses a health hazard due to the harmful nature of their products but also bleeds the country of revenue and undermines the regulatory framework and efforts to control tobacco use in the country. Where infractions are discovered, appropriate penalties should be applied.
Country Coordinator, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Michael Olaniyan, urged the federal government to consider earmarking tobacco tax as a dedicated source for financing tobacco control enforcement efforts in the country.
He also said there was the need to increase the tobacco tax from the current 25 per cent so as to serve as deterring measure to reduce tobacco consumption.
